Chapter 76: First Place

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: First Place

Among the lush, emerald growth rapidly covering Sector 07, a central flower stalk surged upward from the freshly enriched soil, glowing with a dense, violet aura.

Thicker and more refined than the surrounding sprouts, the stalk reached its full height in seconds. Deep green leaves curled gracefully at its base as a swollen, jewel-like bud formed at the tip. Under the sustained influence of Rowan’s Breath of Eden, the bud unfurled petal by petal, blooming into a breathtaking, deep purple orchid that radiated pure, mist-like mana into the surrounding air.

The colosseum fell into a brief, astonished silence before buzzing with excited chatter.

"Look at that center plot!" a cadet in the upper stands called out, leaning over the railing. "He didn’t just force standard crops to grow—he mutated the latent seed potential into a high-grade mana orchid!"

Down on the arena floor, the senior evaluation team rushed to Sector 07’s perimeter with handheld mana scanners. The floating holographic sensors hovered over the blooming purple orchid, projecting sweeping blue light arrays across its petals.

"Unbelievable..." one of the lead evaluators muttered, checking his diagnostic tablet. "The crop has achieved 100% Mana Purity and an unprecedented S-Rank Cellular Vitality Matrix. The artificial soil toxicity in his sector has been completely purged and converted into nutrient flow."

Up in the stands, Squad 07 watched with satisfied smiles:

"A purple orchid from standard testing stock," Barney chuckled, leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest. "Rowan’s showing off now."

"That’s high-tier mana tuning," Seraphina noted, eyeing the mist rising from the petals. "The mana density coming off that flower is cleaner than synthesized alchemical reagents."

Rowan slowly stood up from his kneeling stance, brushing off the dark earth from his palms. He looked down at the blooming orchid shimmering at his feet, then tapped the shaft of his Hoe of the World-Tiller against the ground as the stadium horn blared once more—locking in a perfect score and securing Rowan’s top standing in the cultivation trial.

Across the entire Empire, millions of viewers watched in stunned fascination as the academy’s imperial broadcast network streamed the Initial Competency Testing Trial live to high-definition holographic displays in major city plazas, guild headquarters, and private noble estates.

What had initially been viewed by casual spectators as a routine trial phase transformed into a viral sensation the moment Sector 07 took center stage.

The camera arrays zoomed in close on Rowan Vance—the young Squad Leader standing calmly in his field gear, holding his Hoe of the World-Tiller with his Enchanted Straw Hat tilted slightly low. The live feed captured every detail in crystal-clear magic projection:

The Leyline Shockwave: The screen shook as Rowan’s Earthbreaker Plough split the artificially damaged floor, unlocking subterranean energy veins instantly.

The Eden Surge: As he activated [Breath of Eden - Lv. 2], golden and emerald radiance washed across the screen, turning corrupted dirt into fertile ground in seconds.

The Blooming S-Rank Orchid: The camera captured the breathtaking moment a latent seed mutated and unfurled into a glowing purple orchid of 100% mana purity, releasing visible waves of refined mana mist.

Across imperial territories, the real-time commentary feeds exploded with activity:

In merchant districts and agricultural hubs, high-ranking alchemists and guild masters scrambled to identify the unknown cultivator. "He purified synthetic soil toxicity without an alchemical array!" an elder guild analyst shouted, staring at the diagnostic overlays on the screen. "That efficiency level is unheard of for a freshman cadet!"

At the Vance family storefront for Eden International, patrons and neighbors crowded around the display crystal. His mother, Martha, and father, Arthur, watched with beaming pride as Rowan’s name flashed across the imperial leaderboards.

Back inside the colosseum, the massive central screen switched to a close-up of Rowan’s face as his evaluation scores shattered previous academy benchmarks. Whispers of the "Gardener of Eden" began echoing through the spectator stands and spreading instantly across the Empire’s communications network.

In the stands, Barney let out a booming laugh, slapping his knee. "Look at that broadcast display. Half the Empire probably thinks he’s using forbidden arts."

"Let them guess," Seraphina smirked, leaning back as the real-time viewer count broke all historical trial records. "It’s better for Squad 07 if the whole continent knows we don’t mess around."

Down on the floor, Rowan glanced up at the giant floating holographic screen showing his live broadcast feed. Adjusting the brim of his straw hat to shade his eyes, he slung his hoe back onto his shoulder with a faint, confident smile, ready for whatever challenge the academy would throw at them next.

***

The final horn blared through the colosseum, bringing the Land Cultivation, Leyline Tuning & Resource Harvesting trial to an official close.

High above the arena floor, the massive central holographic displays flashed gold as the final diagnostic data was locked in. The leaderboard refreshed, placing Rowan Vance at the absolute top with an undisputed 1st Place score—a perfect 100% evaluation in germination speed, soil purification efficiency, and crop mana purity.

Up in the high-security Professor’s Lounge overlooking the main arena floor, the atmosphere was electrifying.

Normally, the faculty suite was a sanctuary of reserved, professional stoicism, filled with veteran instructors and senior department heads silently monitoring cadet performance through live diagnostic arrays. But as Rowan’s final metrics shattered the academy’s historical trial records, the usual decorum shattered along with them.

Standing right at the front of the floor-to-ceiling glass viewing panel was Head Dean Sterling.

Known across the entire academy for her icy composure, sharp gaze, and unyielding severity, Dean Sterling usually maintained a strict, unreadable expression. But as Rowan’s live feed showed the glowing purple orchid and his purified plot, a brilliant smile broke across her face.

She began clapping warmly, her clear applause ringing loudly through the quiet lounge, accompanied by an enthusiastic cheer of genuine pride.

"Brilliant work, Vance!" Dean Sterling voiced, her usual severe tone replaced by undisguised delight.

The surrounding professors and department heads stared at her in utter disbelief. Several senior instructors froze mid-sip with their teacups suspended, while an elder alchemical evaluator blinked twice, adjusting his spectacles as if he couldn’t believe his ears. In all their years working under Dean Sterling, none of them had ever seen her openly cheer for a student, let alone applaud with such unreserved enthusiasm.

Noticing the dead silence behind her, Dean Sterling smoothly cleared her throat, adjusting the collar of her imperial coat as she turned back toward the room, though a satisfied smirk remained on her lips.

"What?" she asked calmly, raising an eyebrow at the stunned faculty. "When a cadet purifies artificial leyline toxicity and mutates standard stock into an S-grade mana flower in under three minutes using a basic hoe, credit is due. Squad 07 just proved why field experience trumps theoretical posturing."

None of the professors dared argue. On the glass displays behind her, Rowan’s name shone proudly at the top of the imperial rankings, locking in a dominant victory for Squad 07 as the colosseum roared in applause below.